1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic tag and a system and method for selecting component, and more particularly to a component selection technique for selecting a desired component from a mixture of various components by using an electronic tag.
2. Related Art
In recent years, an article management system in which electronic tags are used for article management of articles and components, etc. has been widespread. In the system, an electronic tag, in which management information of an article to be controlled is recorded, is attached to (incorporated in) the article. When the electronic tag receives an electromagnetic wave outputted from a reader which is an information reader for reading information provided for the electronic tag, the electronic tag is excited by the electromagnetic wave so as to output an electromagnetic wave including the recorded management information.
When the leader receives the electromagnetic wave outputted from the electronic tag, the electromagnetic wave is converted into the management information in the leader, so as to enable a display device, such as a display which is provided for the leader, to display the management information. Since the electromagnetic wave sent out from the reader is capable of exciting a plurality of electronic tags, while the reader is capable of receiving a plurality of electromagnetic waves (management information) sent out from the electronic tags almost simultaneously, it is possible to obtain a plurality of pieces of management information in a short period of time.
For example, an accounting system has been realized, wherein an electronic tag in which information, such as a price and a consumption limit date is recorded, is attached to an article of merchandise in a supermarket, and wherein when the plurality of articles collected in a shopping basket etc. pass in front of a reader, the reader reads prices of all the articles in the basket for calculating the total amount. In addition, in the case where an article of food of which consumption period expired is included in the basket, the reader is also capable of detecting the article, so as to notify the information by displaying the information on a display device or the like.
At present, the electronic tag is made minute so as to be manufactured by a printing process used for a production process of surface mount devices (SMDs), and a wiring process of a printed circuit board and ICs, so that the electronic tag can be manufactured to be small and thin, and can also be incorporated in the SMDs and ICs.
In a system and method for managing articles, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-49900, and in which an electronic tag is utilized, the electronic tag with specific management information recorded therein is configured to be attached to an article, so that a reader/writer terminal can read out the specific information so as to display it on a display device.